Marvin Bagley looked fit and ready to play when he showed up for Thursday’s Zoom media session in Sacramento. Unlike some of his teammates, Bagley already was set up with a court and a gym at home to work with.
He also had a built-in workout partner in his younger brother.
The 21-year-old power forward lives with his parents and two younger brothers. Marcus, the middle of the three Bagley brothers, is heading to Arizona State in the fall to play for coach Bobby Hurley and is considered a top-flight recruit.
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At 6-foot-8, Marcus provided a sparring partner for Marvin as the pair continued to put in work both on the court and in the gym under the supervision of Marvin Sr.
“It’s great having a brother that can compete with me and go at each other every day,” Marvin told media members. “During the quarantine, we weren’t leaving the house, but we had pretty much everything we needed at the house to continue to work and get better. Every day was just pushing each other to get better.”
Like most brothers, it wasn’t all love. Competition brings out the best in people, but it also brings out some fire, especially when siblings are involved.
“There was a lot of trash talking, a lot of pushing, a lot of talking back and forth, a lot of good plays, a lot of bad plays,” Marvin said. “Just getting each other ready -- getting him ready for going to college, getting me ready to come back to the team ready to compete and finish strong."
NBA
Little brother Martray got in on the action as well, and mom supported from the sidelines during the NBA shutdown.
According to Bagley, the family worked out together, lifting every other day. He’s up approximately 10 pounds over his previous playing weight in anticipation of playing more center down the road.
[RELATED: Bagley ready to play if Kings can fit him in rotation]
More than one Kings player had to order a portable hoop online when the league was shut down. Some players went months without access to a basket. That wasn’t the case for the Bagleys, who look like they put in good work during the four months away.
A family that hoops together, stays together? Or is it the other way around?